defective drugs and medical devices Archives

Anyone in Tennessee who has undergone a medical procedure to insert a cardiac defibrillator machine as treatment for a heart condition may want to pay close attention to an ongoing situation in another state. A man has filed a lawsuit against St. Jude Medical manufacturing company regarding an allegedly defective medical device that he says caused him injury. The manufacturer of the device has already settled a slew of lawsuits surrounding the product in 2015, before another company took over its ownership.

When someone visits a Tennessee doctor's office seeking help for a particular medical condition, a doctor might prescribe medication at some point. Before the patient gets the prescription filled, a nurse might provide basic instructions on how to properly use the medication. This may also happen again at the pharmacy, with the person dispensing the medication alerting the patient to possible side effects or offering printed information about the medication at the point of sale. When a defective drug causes injury or illness, any of these people, otherwise known as learned intermediaries, may be potentially liable.

In June 2016, a state on the West Coast enacted a new law concerning a highly controversial and much debated topic: assisted suicide. There is no current law in Tennessee allowing medical doctors to assist terminally ill patients to take their own lives; however, based upon the new law that was implemented in this other state, a cancer patient apparently requested the hospital's assistance so she could die. Her parents have since alleged that the hospital committed medical malpractice.

Many Tennessee residents use prescription drugs or other procedures that include insertion of various devices that are meant to help improve their health conditions. Although it's impossible to predict a particular outcome, and whether a specific drug or device will help solve a particular problem, patients assume their doctors have their best interests at heart and are acting accordingly. All too often, however, defective drugs and medical devices wreak havoc across the nation when patients suffer severe injuries (or even death) in situations that may have been prevented.

Many Tennessee residents may recall the tobacco crisis of the 1990s. That particular decade abounded with lawsuits against tobacco manufacturers and sales distributors who claimed they were fully aware of the health risks associated with tobacco products, but failed to properly inform consumers. Some current problems concerning defective drugs and medical devices appear eerily similar to the tobacco litigation of an earlier era.

The need for medical care will never go away. Every day, someone in Tennessee calls a doctor, undergoes surgery or otherwise seeks medical attention. Because such care is often crucial to a person's recovery (in fact it may be life-saving) things like defective drugs and medical devices that malfunction should not be present in any medical facility throughout the state.

Any licensed manufacturer in Tennessee who makes medical products of any kind is responsible for testing said products, as well as adhering to all federal and state laws that may govern their production before making them available to consumers. Defective drugs and medical devices are often root causes of serious medical injuries, including those that ultimately result in death. Patients and their families have the right to pursue justice against any and all parties identified as possible liable sources when illness or injury has adversely affected them because of a failed product.

Consumers in Tennessee and elsewhere may not be aware of the dangers posed by some items offered for sale online and directly at places such as flea markets. A woman in another state has recently filed a lawsuit against the owner of a flea market booth, alleging the contact lenses she purchased caused her to go blind. Contact lenses are medically regulated and not to be sold over-the-counter. Defective drugs and medical devices can lead to severe personal injury.

Heartburn is a common medical condition that affects millions of Americans every year. If, on a regular basis, you experience the nausea, discomfort and chest pain that frequently accompanies heartburn, there are both over-the-counter and prescription medications that can help alleviate these symptoms. Unfortunately, some of these medications have side effects that can have serious and even life threatening consequences.

When patients in Tennessee and elsewhere undergo surgical procedures, there will always be the danger of blood clots developing. IVC filters were intended to prevent pulmonary embolism from blood clots landing in the lungs, or even death when these clots end up in the brain. However, the devices have led to multiple lawsuits related to defective drugs and medical devices.

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